Type-writing machine.



B. C. STICKNEY.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2|. 1913.

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TYPE WRITING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAI-1.21. m3.

1 1 8 1 ,972 Patented May 2, 1916.

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WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

B. C. STICKNEY.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

Mme/mom FILED MAR. 21. 19:3.

1,181,972. Patented May i 16.

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specification.

PATE

GFFICE.

BURNHAM C. STICKNEY. OF ELIZABETH. NEW JERSEY. ASSIGNOR, BY MES NE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO UNDEENOOD TYPEVIBITER ()01V['.EA1 TY. OF

RATIGN OF DELAWARE.

NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPO- TYPE-vVBITING MACHINE.

Application filed March 21, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Bruxuau t. STICK- xm'. a citizen of the l nited States. residing in Elizabeth. in the county of Union and State of New Jersey. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type-\Vrit ing Machines, of which tne following is a This invention relates to writing machines in which the type bars strike rearwardly against the platen. 1

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive mechanism. easily made and assembled. compact and accessible. for operating the type bars by the keys. The keyboard is arranged right in front of the type bars, and the keys are mounted upon levers which are pivoted just below the rear portions of the type bars and in front of the type bar segment, and which have arms extending down from their pivots; these arms at their lower portions vibrating backwardly and forwardly as the keys descend and rise. These arms in turn operate sub-levers, each of which is pivoted between its ends. thesesubdevers extending up and down and being operated at their lower ends by means of said key levers. .it their upper ends the sub-levers engage slots in the type bars in-the manner usual in the Underwood typewriting ma-, chine. By this means I preserve all the advantages of the type actions in said Underwood machine. and avoid the necessity of extending the key levers a great distance in rear of the type bars. whereby compactness is secured. and the rear portion of the machine is left free. thus rendering the various parts of the type-writer more acces sible than heretofore. besides reducing the cost of construction. assembling, inspection and repair. By means of this mounting of the key levers. they are given a movement in a desirable downward direction. swinging slightly to the rear as they descend. The key levers are preferably connected to said sub-levers by means of links. although this is not essential in all cases.

Another feature of the present construction is the shifting of the type bars up and down to cause different types to print. Not only the tyre bar segment. but also said sub-levers. shifted up and down for this purpose. said links vibrating idly during said .hfting. but. the type bars remain- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Serial No. 55,912.

tions of the case-shift mechanism. Thus the advantage is secured of shifting the type bars in a machine in which the type actions are extremely compact.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 18 asectional side elevation illustrating the type action of a typewriting machine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation of the machine taken in rear of the keyboard. Fig. 3 is a plan of the type action.

Against the front side ofthe usual platen l strike type bars 2, each carrying a lower case type 3 and an upper case type 4, both on one block. These type bars have at their hub ends hooks 5 whereby they are hung on a pivot wire 6. Said wire, hooks and type bars may be of the usual Underwood construction, in which the wire 6 is mounted in a segment 7, said segment comprising slots 8 which serve as guides for the type bars. The types strike upon the front side of the platen 1 at about the axial plane thereof, and the segment in which the types are mounted may be vibrated up or down so as to enable different types to print, the normal'lower case position of the segment being shown in Figs. 1 and The type bars 2. as in the usual Under wood machine, are swung upwardly and rearwardly around the pivot wire (3 by means of sub-levers 9. said levers carrying at the upper end where they engage with the type bars pins or rollers 10, which slide in slots 11 formed in the rearward extensions 12 of said type bars, the slots 11 extending toward the type bar fnlcrums. Said sub-levers moveforwardly to a uniform extent at their upper ends when the. keys are operated. riding up along the slot 11 as the type bar rises; thus gradually approaching the pivotwire t3 and thus increasing the speed with which they swing the type bar as the type bar approaches the platen. Said sub-levers 9 are pivoted on a curved bar 13 beneath the segment. and are swung around said bar by means of links 14 pivoted to said sub-levers at their rear ends. These links are pivoted to forwardly and rearwardly swinging arms 15 at their forward ends. said arms 15 being formed as downward extensions of key ievers 16, which they swing to and fro.

key levers are pivoted in front of the segment on a bar 17 at about the height of the keys 18 on said key levers. Said bar 17 is preferably rather below the fourth bank of keys, and rather above the first bank of keys, this mounting of the key levers on a bar of such a height giving the keys an wardly at its upper end, thus raising the.

type bar 2. A universal bar 21 carried on rearwardly extending arms 21, may lie be hind the arms 15, and may control the letterfeeding of the platen 1 by any ordinary or desired escapement device, and may also control the usual mechanism for vibrating the ribbon up and down at the type strokes.

In the form of my invention as herein disclosed, the types are caused to print in their upper case on the platen 1 by raising the seg ment 7 in which they are pivoted, said segment for this purpose forming part of a frame 22 comprising uprights 23, 23, said uprights, as shown in Fig. 3, including grooves 24, 24, in which ride balls 25, which 1 balls on the opposite side are engaged by similar grooves 26 in the main frame bars 27, 27, of the typewriting machine. Said frame work carrying the segment may be shifted off its balls 25 by means of shift keys 28, and

the travel of said segment in either direction is limited by stops 29 and 30 thereon, which lie on opposite sides of a stop 31 on the framework of the machine. The sublevers 9, adjacent the pivot bar 13 which carries them, are guided in slots 32 in the front extension of a cross bar 33 forming part of the segment shift frame. Said slots serve to prevent any of the outlying sublevers (which operate the type bars most removed from the vertical), from twisting as The pivots 34 and 35, by which the links 14 are joined to the key levers and said sublever, may be suitably formed to allow the necessary slight twisting, which-may be brought about by the operation of said outlying sub-levers.

Owing to the fact that the keys 18 in the different banks are set at diflierent distances from the pivot bar 17 on which their levers swing, the arms or extensions 1'5 may be made of varying lengths so that a uniform motion given to the keys 18 will produce sufficiently uniform rearward motions of the sub-levers 9.

It is desirable that the'links 14 shall be at all times nearly horizontal. For this purpose said links, as seen in Fig. 1. are in the normal position of writing in the lower c: w. inclined slightly downward, while. when the segment 7 is shifted upward, said u. will incline slightly upward. Said v .1 tion from the horizontal is practically negligible. In order to preserve this 1' a and at the same time make up for the ing length of the extensions 15, the pivots by which the links 14 are joined to the levers are set at points variously ren'io from the pivot bar 13 on which the sub levers are pivoted. The keys 18 in the front bank have a throw uniform with the ke s of the fourth bank.

The consequence 1 the angular motion of the key levers o front bank of keys is considerably than that of the fourth. bank, this resulting in the extensions 15 of the front bank levers having considerably less throw than the ex tensions 15 of the fourth bank levers. To make up for this varying throw, the pivots joining the sub-levers to the links of mo key levers of the front bank are set closer to the pivot bar 13, thereby causing a small travel of the link 1l,-to cause the san'ic t ow of its sub-lever 9 that the longer travel of the link 14, attached to one of the fourth bank of key levers, gives to its sub-leve In order to preserve the horizontal positio of the links A, the pivots 3%, by which said links are joined to the extensions 15, are sc at about the same height as the pivots 3-3 on their respective links 11,- but owing to thifact that the pivot bar 17 of the extensions 15 is much farther from the pivots 31 than is the pivot bar 13 from the pivots '35, the effect of moving up the pivots 3 on the tensions 15 will be comparatively slight. and what difference is made by such positioning can be easily offset by slightly varying the height of the corresponding pivots 3i It will be observed that in its preferred form, the herein disclosed construction of the machine enables the whole of the key levers and their connections to the type bars to be kept entirely in front of the rear ends of said type bars, so that the whole machine behind said type bars'is open to receive any mechanism which it is desirable to put thcrcin, such as tabulatinginechanism, carriagefeeding dogs, ribbon-operating mechanism. etc. I

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be'used without others.

.Having thus described my invention. '1 claim: I y

1. In a typewriting'machine, the combr nation with a platen and type bars striking on the front of the platen, of keys, kc) levers pivoted upon the-stationary framework of the machine and having arms ex-- tending below their pivots and moved backwardly at the key depressions, said Cri levers pivoted in front. of said platen and in rear of said keys. upstanding sub-levers for operating said type bars by said key levers, means for shifting said sub-levers and type bars up and down so as to cause difierent type thereon to print. and links extending forwardly from said sub-levers to connect them to said key levers, and to vibrate idly at their. rear ends at the shifting operation.

2. In a typewriting machine. the combination with keys. of key levers. type bars. said key levers pivoted directly under the type bars. a shifting member carrying said type bars to change the case in which writing is done. sub-levers for said type bars. said sub-levers extending from the type bars downwardly and pivoted on said shifting member. said key levers having portions below their pivots which swing backvvardly at the down strokes of the keys. and links connecting said portions and said sublevers. to vibrate l ll at their rear ends at the ca e-shitting operation.

23. In a typewriting machine. the combination with a platen and type bars, of key levers pivoted in front of said platen and ruler said type bars. parts of said key levers depending from their pivots and having backward movement at the down strokes of the keys. :1 shift-able mounting on which mid type bars are pivoted. sub-levers having a backward and forward movement and pivoted on said mounting. and links mnnerting said depending parts with said 4. In a typewriting machine. the combination with a key lever comprising a depending arm having a backward and for- 'ard movement. of a type bar. a segment on which said type bar is pivoted. a sublcver likewise pivoted on said segment. a link connecting said depending arm to said sub-lever. and a slot-and-pin connection between the sub-lever and type bar.

5. In a typewriting machine. the combination with a platen. of key levers pivoted in front of said platen. said levers comprising parts depending from their pivots and moved hackwardly and forwardly. type bars. a shit'tablc segment on which said type bars are pivoted. sub-levers likewise pivoted on said segment adjacent said key lcver parts. links connecting said key levers to said sub-levers. and slot-and-pin connections between the type bars and sub-levers. 6. In a typewriting machine. the combination with a platen. of key levers pivoted in front oi said platen. said levers comprising parts depending from their pivots and movedbaclnvardly and forwardly. type bars. a shit'table segment on which said type bars are pivoted. sub-levers likewise pivoted on said segment adjacent said key lever parts, links extending in a nearly horizontal direction. connecting saidkey levers to said sub-levers. and slot-and-pin connec tions between the type bars and sub-levers.

T. In a typcwriting machine. the combination with type bars having slots therein.

of key levers pivoted directly under said type bars and having keys. said key levers having arms extending downwardly from their pivots to which arms backward movements are imparted by the down strokes of the keys. sub-levers having pins working in saii slots and connecting the sub-levers with said type bars, said slots extending from said pins toward the type-bar pivots. the sub-levers being arranged to cause the pins to move toward the type-bar pivots during the type stroke. and links connectingsaid key-lever arms to said sub-levers below the fulcrums of the latter.

8. In a typewriting machine. the combination with pivoted type bars. of keys hav ing np-anddown movements. levers piv oted directly under the type bars and eX- tending forwardly to said keys and comprising arms extending downwardly from their pivots and moved backwardly by the depression of the keys. and sub-levers of the first order operated by said arms; the pivots of the sub-levers having a fixed l't lation to the type bar pivots. said sub-levels having a sliding engagement with the type bars and arranged to cause the point of contact between each sub-lever and its typebar to move toward the type-bar pivot during the printing stroke. the sub-levers extending down from the type-bars, and connected at their lower ends to the key levers.

9. In a typewriting machine. the combination with a platen and pivoted type bars striking on the front of the platen. of key levers pivoted in front of said platen and having forwardly and rearwardly moving portions extending downwardly beneath their pivots. sub-levers having slotand-pin connections with the type bars for operating said type bars, said connections arranged to cause the point of connection between each type bar and its sub-lever to move toward the type-bar pivot during the type stroke. said type bars shiftable so as to cause difierent type thereon to print: said sub-levels shiftable with the type. bars to maintain a constant relation between the pivots of the type bars and sub-levers. and links connecting said sub-levers to said forwardly and rearwardly 'moving portions of said key levers beneath the key lever pivots, to vibrate idly at their rear ends at the shifting operation.

10. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a type-bar. of a sub-lever therefor arranged beneath the type-bar and ex-v tending therefrom in a downward direction and moved backwardly and forwardly. said sub-lever having a connection with the type bar, the point of connection moving toward the type-bar fulcrum during the type-stroke, the type-bar pivot and the sub-lever pivot having a fixed relation, a key'lever pivoted in front of the sub-lever, a key on the key lever having an up-and-down movement,

. said key lever comprising a member extending below its pivot and having a backward motion at the depression of the key, and a link connecting said member to the sublever and moved bodily in a substantially horizontal direction during the key stroke.

11. In a typewriting machine, the combination with key levers arranged in banks, of a common pivot for said key levers, said key levers comprising members extending downwardly from said pivot and having a backward and forward movement, type bars, sublevers for actuating said type bars, pivots on which said sub-levers swing. and links extending from said key lever members to said sub-levers and attached at points so located with respect to the pivot-of the sublevers that equal correspondingmotions of the keys give equal motions to the type bars.

12. In a typewriting machine. the combination with key levers arranged in banks. of acommon pivot for said key levers. said key levers comprising members extending downwardly from said pivot and having a backwardfind forward movement. type bars, sub-levers for actuating said type bars. pivots on which said sub-levers swing, links extending from said key lever members to said sub-levers and attached at points so lorated with respect to the pivot of the sub levers that equal corresponding motions of the keys give equal motions to the type bars, and a shiftable segment on which said type bars are mounted for changing the case in which printing is done.

1,3. In a typewriting machine. the combination with a platen. of key levers pivoted in front of said platen. said levers comprising parts extending below their pivots and moved backwardly and forwardly. type bars. a shiftable segment on which said type bars are pivoted, sub-levers likewise pivoted on said segment adjacent said key lever parts. links connecting said key levers to said sub-levers and varying in height according to the throw of the key levers. and slot-andpin connections between the type bars and sub-levers.

H. The combination with a set of rearwardly striking type bars, of a segment or frame shiftable up and down and carrying said type bars, levers directly engaging said type bars and extending downwardly therefrom, said levers mounted on said shiftable frame. links extending forwardly from said levers. keys, and depressible key levers to which the forward ends of said links are pivoted. said key levers mounted on the framewor of the machine and having parts below their pivots which move rearwardly at the points of connection with said links during the down strokes of the keys.

15. The combination of keys. a set of rear wardly striking type bars, an upandwlown' tween their ends on said frame and con" nected at their upper ends to said type bars, links extending forwardly from the lower ends of said levers. and key levers pivoted under the type bars and extending forwardly to the keys, and having arms or portions extending dowmvardly from their pivots and at their lower ends pivoted to the forward ends of said links. n

17. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a frame comprising a type bar segment. and a set of type bars pivoted thereon. said frame shiftable to upper and lower case positions. of a system of key levers pivoted on the machine frame forward of the type-bar pivots. said system of key levers extending laterally beyond the outlying type bars sub-levers operating between the key levers and type bars and arranged to swing in planes which converge from the sublever pivots toward the type bars; said sub-levers pivoted on the shiftable frame and connected to operate the type bars, and operatingconnections between the key levers and sub-levers permitting the sub-levers to shift with said frame.

18. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combinationwvith a segment frame shiftable up and down, and a set of type bars on said frame, of a system of key levers pivoted on the machine frame and comprising backwardly and forwardly moving portions. sub-levers connected to the type barszand extending downwardly therefrom. said sublevers pivoted on the shifting frame, and links connecting the lower ends of the sub; levers to said 'backwardly and forwardly moving portions of the key levers; said system of key levers and links extending substantially the same distance transversely of the machine to points beyond the outlying type bars, the outlying sub-levers bein inclined inwardly from the links to the type bars.

19. In a typewriting machine. the c0mbination with a frame shiftable up and down.

of a set of rearwardly striking type bars thereon, sub-levers directly engaging the type bars and extending downwardly there-' wardly and backwardly movin portions of which the forward ends of t e links are pivoted below the key-lever pivots, said key levers pivoted on the framework of the machine under the type bars; the set of, key levers extending laterally beyond the outlying type bars, and the sub-levers for the outlying type bars bein inclined inwardly from the said links to t e type bars.

20. In a typewritin machine, the combination with a set 0 rearwardly striking type bars, of a frame shiftable up and down on which the type bars are mounted, aset of key levers mounted on the framework of the machine and provided with keysv at their forward ends, the key levers being parallel throughout their length and comprising backwardly and forwardly moving ortions, saidset of key levers extending aterally beyond the set of. type bars, and a set of sub-levers having connections at their opposite ends with the type bars and with said backwardly and forwardly moving portions of the key levers; said sublevers converging inwardly from their connections with key levers toward the type bars, said sub-levers mounted to shift up and down with the type bar frame.

21. In a typewritin machine, the combination with a set 0 rearwardly striking type bars, of a frame shiftable up and down on which the type bars are mounted, a set of key levers mounted on the framework of the machine and provided with keys at their forward ends, the key levers being parallel throughout their length, and the set of key levers extending laterally beyond the set of type bars, a set of sub-levers having connections at their opposite ends with the type bars and key levers; said sub-levers convergin inwardly from their connections with the key levers toward the type bars,

and a pivot rod for the sub-levers on the;

shifting frame, said rod curved soas to be perpendicular to the sub-levers at their pivotedpoints. I

22. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a set of rearwardly strikingtype bars, of a frame shiftable up and down on which the type bars are mounted, a set of key levers mounted on the framework of the machine and provided with keys at their forward ends, the key levers being parallel throughout their length and the set of key levers extending laterall'y beyond the set of type ,bars, a set of sub-levers having connections at their opposite ends with the type bars and key levers; said sub-levers con-' verging inwardly from their connections with the key levers toward the type bars, a pivot rod for the sub-levers on the shifting frame, said rod curved so as to be perpendicular to the sub-levers at their ivoted points, and a guide bar for the su -levers formed with kerfs or slots in which the sub-levers are guided.

BURNHAM C. STICKNEY. Witnesses:

F. E. ALEXANDER, J. F. BROPHY.

00,! ot this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addremng the commissioner or Patents.

. Washington, D. 0." 

